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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Gareth Fullerton

A 13-year-old Irish kid makes football history with senior top level appearance

What was the height of your sporting achievements at the age of 13? Winning a race at the school sports day or a nice goal for your local club maybe?

How about making a senior appearance at the elite level of the sport?

It seems outrageous but that is what one youngster from Northern Ireland managed on Tuesday night.

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Christopher Atherton - remember the name.

The talented teen came off the bench for Irish League side Glenavon in Tuesday night's BetMcLean League Cup rout of Dollingstown.

Gary Hamilton's side romped to a comfortable 6-0 win at Mourneview Park, with Atherton playing a part in the Lurgan Blues' sixth goal scored by Matthew Snoddy with his first touch.

At just 13 years and 329 days old, Atherton becomes the youngest player to feature in a first-class match in the United Kingdom.

According to Northern Ireland football stats expert Marshall Gillespie, Atherton beat the previous record set by Eamon Collins who was 14 years and 323 days old when he debuted for Blackpool back in September 1980.

The youngster - who came off the bench to replace Jack Malone - is the latest teenage talent to make his mark in the Irish League this season.

Last week Conor Haughey became Glentoran's youngest ever player when he came on against Lisburn Distillery in the Co Antrim Shield.

Northern Ireland has something of a track record when it comes to record-breaking youngsters with former Manchester United star Norman Whiteside still the youngest ever player to feature at a World Cup.

At just 17 years and 41 days, he made his debut in the 1982 World Cup against Yugoslavia - breaking the record set by Brazillian legend Pele.

The achievements of Atherton at Glenavon don't quite stretch to a world record, however.

At the age of 12, Bolivia's Maurucio Baldivieso was the youngest player ever to play professional football when his father, Julio Baldivieso, who managed Club Aurora at the time, sent him on as a late substitute against La Paz on 19 July 2009.

While his father was a long-serving international with Bolivia, Mauricio, 26, only ever represented his country at under-20 level and still plays his club football in the country with San Jose.

Amazingly, that record fell earlier this year in the Liberian fourth division in Africa.

At the age of 11, Eric Godpower Marshall played for for FC Gar'ou as they thumped Haifa FC 4-1.

Who knows where Atherton's football career will go from here.

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